Falconry

[SkyLark]

Ace looks so majestic in the second pic! Is the beak open and wings out in the third pic a sign of alarm?

 

[melissasparrots]

Glory. My first red tail. Nasty thing that she was. Right after training on the creance/long leash before you start free flying them. It took some doing to talk my sponsor into letting me release her a year later and trying again with another hawk that didn't want a piece of my face. That's it for falconry photos. All the way back to the beginning for me in 2013. Also one where we got an unexpected snow storm. Getting snowed or rained on is not bad for red tails. It helps keep their beak and talons sharp. Although, I did put the bird in the mews to be dry for the night.

 

[SkyLark]

There's no snow where I live, unfortunately, but there definitely is rain. I apologize if this is a bit personal, it's fine if you don't answer, but how old were you when you first started falconry?

 

[melissasparrots]

Ace looks so majestic in the second pic! Is the beak open and wings out in the third pic a sign of alarm?

Yes, freshly trapped birds tend to do wings out and open mouth breathing. After a few days they start keeping the wings folded and being more relaxed. Most birds start eating after a couple of days, then jumping to the fist within the first 5-7 days of trapping. Then flying short distances inside. Then you take them outside and they go nuts getting to see trees again. But usually you have them back to flying 10 feet to the glove on a leash within a day. Then you start the long 50-150 foot long creance flights in a big open park where they can't get hung up on trees if they decide to fly away while the creance is attached. Once they have instant recall to the glove at about 100+ feet with a few repetitions and scary fast and aggressive instant response to the lure, then they are ready to free fly. Scary fast lure response means that even though the bird is 100 feet away, you barely have time to get the lure out of the bag and on the ground before the hawk hits it hard. You don't want to be still holding the lure with your ungloved free hand when a red tail hits it. Lots of bleeding and pain involved and they won't release you quickly. Everything that involves food with raptors needs to be thought out in advance and you always ask what lesson am I teaching the bird now and what unwanted lesson is it potentially learning. Especially with big female red tails and imprints. From trap to first free flight tends to be about 3-6 weeks depending on the bird. Juvenile red tails adjust to captivity fairly quickly once they figure out you have food. They also figure out that you mean protection from other scary things like owls and eagles and lots of opportunities to catch their food and safe shelter after. I've had a few birds that would sometimes decide they didn't like my hunting spot and disappear on me. Then I find them back at my car waiting for me to hurry up and take them home. Here is a link to another guy that has some pretty good stuff.

Ben Woodruff

www.youtube.com

 

[SkyLark]

Then I find them back at my car waiting for me to hurry up and take them home.

lol

Lots of bleeding and pain involved and they won't release you quickly.

Ouch. Could I compare it to being sliced with a few dozen razor blades?

 

[melissasparrots]

There's no snow where I live, unfortunately, but there definitely is rain. I apologize if this is a bit personal, it's fine if you don't answer, but how old were you when you first started falconry?

I was I think 35. I was interested in it when I was younger, but my lack of carpentry skills stopped me, having to have my facilities/mews inspected by a DNR person at my house was scary and having to come to terms with killing something stopped me. In the end, I decided my life was slightly in a rut, I went for a hike in the woods in the middle of winter, a hawk flew over and renewed my interest. With a little more maturity, I was able to come to terms with the fact that something is going to die for any predator to live. It can eat 14+ captive bred mice sitting on a perch in my house, or it can catch one rabbit to eat off of for a week if I take it hunting. If left in the wild, its going to catch and kill more stuff due to burning more calories trying to live and not being able to eat a hole rabbit in one sitting. Also, around 80% of juvenile hawks don't survive their first year. Only about 3-5% survive to maturity. Getting trapped by a falconer is the best worst thing to happen to a young hawk. It almost guarantees its survival for the first year while it gets hunting experience and most falconers release it back to the wild at some point. Also, for my personal health, it gets me outside, in the fresh air which is not bad. This partnership with the wild can work out in favor of both me and the hawk. If a hawk kills something like a rabbit in the wild, it starts feeding on it and the animal actually dies 20 minutes later. If the hawk has a falconer partner to come in and dispatch it quickly, there is less suffering but ultimately the same outcome. Something will die for this bird to live. I cannot judge God or evolution for allowing predators to come into existence and result in the death of another. Other than a few chemosynthetic bacteria, all life requires another life to sustain its own in some form. Predation evolved as a solution to allow some to survive instead of starving to death. I can't judge nature's solution to death.
BTW, most states have a minimum falconry age as being either 14 or 16. You'll have to look it up for your own state. I don't think you can be a general class falconer until you are at least 18. That means that if a state allows you to start when you are 14, you might have to be an apprentice for 4 years. That might make it harder to get a sponsor depending on how old you are. Having a driver's license and parents willing to let you out independently to hunt your bird is also needed.

 

[SkyLark]

I'm fine with being an apprentice for a few more years. I'm not sure if there is a sponsor out there who is also fine with it though I already have a place in mind for hunting, one of my family members own a ranch/farm sort of place, and rabbit control is needed I also need to get out more, being holed up in my room all day can't be good for anyone'shealth.

it starts feeding on it and the animal actually dies 20 minutes later.

Nature can be brutal.

 

[melissasparrots]

Red-tails are so gorgeous! Horned owls killed red-tails? I never knew that! Will make sure to stay away from owls in the future. I've been learning some falconry vocab, will try to use some in this tread. I've been researching for hours each day and I didn't even start my test yet lol. Hopefully will get a good hawk and sponser, and will it too much to ask for some more photos? Sorry, I love raptor photos even more than chick photos

Its not unheard of for someone's imprint goshawk that they raised from a chick to disappear in the woods during some late evening after work hunt. Only to have the falconer track its GPS transmitter and find a pile of feathers. Owls can be bad. I've known other falconer's who's female red tail will do anything it can to catch an owl. Speaking from experience, trying to separate two raptors with feet locked together and trying to kill each other when you only have one glove is hard. You learn how good of a lubricant blood is and its annoying trying to hold onto anything with a bleeding talon hole in your finger. One of those reasons most sponsors want their apprentice to fly a red tail. Make a man or woman...or just a grown up out of you. You learn how to not be pain averse. Also, kestrels have a real tendency to be killed by other hawks more often than red tails. Lots of sad stories from people flying kestrels. I learn why they mature fast and have large clutches given their place in the food chain.

 

[melissasparrots]

I'll never understand why some people think bloody rabbits as disturbing. I mean, I've skinned a few squirrels before, and it wasn't bad at all

Red tails are the best squirrel hawks out there. A big female red tail or a male with nice thick feet to withstand the bites. I'd love to see a nice squirrel chase some day. People say its like a chess match in the trees between predator and prey and a single chase can go on for 20 minutes or so. As it turns out, none of my red tails have been interested in squirrels. Only my male harris with wimpy male harris feet has figured out that he can jump on squirrel nests and make them come out. Then I have to call him down quickly because I don't want him to get a toe tendon severed from getting bit He grabbed a fox squirrel once and I was too far away to help him dispatch it right away. He got a couple of BAD bites to his leg complete with a bit of his muscle thread hanging out. If you have the smaller grey squirrels instead of the big fox squirrels like we have, its even better for the birds.

 

[melissasparrots]

lol

Ouch. Could I compare it to being sliced with a few dozen razor blades?

Its nice when they just cut you and you bleed because it releases the pressure. When they catch and bind to you, the talons dig in deep into the muscle and scrapes bone. Its kind of a combination or extreme pain, dull ache and numbness all at once. And, there isn't a whole you can do about it either until the bird decides to release you. There are a few things you can try to get them to release, but it doesn't always work. And when they do release, there may not be much bleeding with puncture wounds. But the swelling that takes place for the next few days is impressive. Sometimes you need a trip to an Emergicare place for antibiotics so you don't get a nasty blood infection.

 

[SkyLark]

the talons dig in deep into the muscle and scrapes bone. Its kind of a combination or extreme pain, dull ache and numbness all at once.

The sacrifices of owning a raptor

 

[SkyLark]

Sent an email earlier today to the falconry association we have in our state, waiting for my beginner packet....

 

[melissasparrots]

Sent an email earlier today to the falconry association we have in our state, waiting for my beginner packet....

Be persistent but not a pest. Be willing and able to find work arounds to make contact. I sent in a request for our falconry association and tried to join a few message boards that were active at the time. Some of them didn't get back to me until I tried again a couple years later. Check to see what is on facebook. Give your initial attempt several days to work, then try again. If after a couple weeks you don't get a response from your state organization, see if you can find out who some members are. If your state has an active facebook page that is public, read through it to see who tends to respond and have the respect of others. Then contact those people. Falconers have a low tolerance for needy people. Be willing to let this marinate for a little while and give people thinking time to live their lives. Some falconers will draw things out a bit just to see if your interest is more than just a passing fantasy.

 

[Zara]

View attachment 349139
Roadside kestrel trapping. I flew this bird for a year and released him. Was grateful I kept him alive with all the cooper's hawks materializing out of nowhere and trying to eat him.

Awww he´s lovely!
The falconry centre near my house has a little one very similar to this guy.

I'll never understand why some people think bloody rabbits as disturbing

Blood and guts are not for everyone. Even those who have come to terms with the facts of life that something must die for another to survive.

 

[Hankmacaw]

@melissasparrots What a very good write up. I would love to see this as a sticky, so it isn't lost. Many people are interested in falconry, but don't understand that there are definitely downsides to it - you are honest and clear about the difficult stuff.

I learned about the circle of life early, due to being raised on a working cattle ranch. I learned a lot from my dad who killed for us to eat or to save our crops or chickens or cattle, but not for fun. As you said, for something to live something else will die.

Everything dies, as a matter of fact.

 

[tka]

I'm in the UK so things are very different. There are lots of very strict protections for our native hawks, falcons and eagles - they were very badly affected by DDT and many are killed illegally by farmers and gamekeepers, especially on or near grouse farms. Their populations are still recovering. Using captive bred birds is more common.

I do know a falconer and have helped her fly her birds before, but not gone on an actual hunt. Captive bred harris hawks are very popular in the UK; they're not a native species . We have a number of small hawks and falcons - sparrowhawks, kestrels (different from American kestrels) and merlins, but monitoring the weight for a <200g raptor is a delicate business.

The thing I find difficult about falconry (and with snake and reptile keeping) is the frozen mice, rats and chicks. I used to have pet rats and know how smart and affectionate they are, and it really bothers me that feeder rats and mice are often raised in pretty grim conditions - tiny tubs, overcrowded, no enrichment, often issues with inbreeding and poor diet, and not a kind or quick death. At least wild prey has had freedom and, if a falconer is involved, a quick death. I've been a vegetarian since my early twenties but when I did eat meat, I did eat wild game for similar reasons.

 

[Zara]

I learned a lot from my dad who killed for us to eat or to save our crops or chickens or cattle, but not for fun.

My grandad was the same. He would hunt to feed the family. Nothing was wasted not even bones/skin. My dad grew up in a very poor household in a tiny village. He is now pescatarian, though he says it is simply because he does not like the taste.

feeder rats and mice are often raised in pretty grim conditions - tiny tubs, overcrowded, no enrichment, often issues with inbreeding and poor diet, and not a kind or quick death.

Yea, that´s sad. Did you see what happened to Hrafn (last year?) She opened a bag of frozen mice for her snake and found live mice amongst the dead ones
She set them up in their own little cage and kept them as pets.

 

[melissasparrots]

Awww he´s lovely!
The falconry centre near my house has a little one very similar to this guy.

Apparently, our New World raptors are very popular elsewhere. Supposedly our Harris's hawks are now the most commonly flown hawk in Europe and parts of Asia even though they aren't considered one of the traditional historically used species. Our tiny American kestrels are well known for being more ferocious than the larger European version of the kestrel. I'm not saying that like its a competition. Just that its interesting Europe has such a longer history with the sport and they like our American birds. Some of the african species are also well liked. I think I'm going to try a goshawk sometime in the next few years. Trying to decide if I want to imprint one our American birds or try for one of the European variants of a goshawk. The european birds are well known for being tamer and bigger and a lot of people like them best. But I really like the blood red eyes and forest dwelling agility that comes with the American birds.

 

[melissasparrots]

@melissasparrots What a very good write up. I would love to see this as a sticky, so it isn't lost. Many people are interested in falconry, but don't understand that there are definitely downsides to it - you are honest and clear about the difficult stuff.

I learned about the circle of life early, due to being raised on a working cattle ranch. I learned a lot from my dad who killed for us to eat or to save our crops or chickens or cattle, but not for fun. As you said, for something to live something else will die.

Everything dies, as a matter of fact.

My dad hunted and we all fished a bit when I was a kid. My mom worked hard to make me a material girl, but it just didn't work out. I think it just delayed the inevitable by having me hang out with the ladies while dad went fishing because that was the thing that girls did. I didn't have the same skills that some of the boys that went hunting with their dads had. But then my dad took me on a photography trip to see the sandhill crane migration and we got to see a bunch of other wild birds at the same time. I was simultaneously interested and bored senseless in the way teenagers are. Like oh, that's a cool bird that just flew by... and now I get to stand here with nothing to do, in the cold and watch 50 photographers trying to get the perfect shot. Boredom is not bad. Your mind wonders and you start thinking about all the what ifs and possibilities and seeing details for the first time because you have nothing better to do than look more closely. I already kind of knew that falconry existed from reading My Side of the Mountain and some other young adult book about a girl with a kestrel. That boredom caused me to start making a habit of studying cranes and raptors. We picked up the Audubon Birds of North America or similar type field guide on the way home. That book is still sitting in my parents house, still getting frequently used to identify everything that shows up at the feeder or flys over the lake. Falconry was always kind of there in the back of my mind. I just wasn't quite ready for it when I was younger. Plus, there was no way in hades that either of my parents was going to let me build a shed in the back yard for a wild hawk to poop in and be all gross. Also, my mom was convinced I was going to lose an eye. You can bet that even at 35 years old when I got that cut on my eyelid from my first red tail, I just happened to wear my glasses and kept my hair down when visiting mom so she couldn't see it. I guess even 35 year olds don't want to hear about how your going to poke an eye out with that thing from their mom. It was just last year that I told her about it and showed her the scar. I'm now reminded to wear eye protection every time I take the hawk out.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I was my father's daughter and mom gave up early trying to make me into a "Lady". I was at his heels every minute of the day on the ranch doing everything a boy would be expected to do. I had my horse and was off riding and making believe when I wasn't working. When we had to move back to Los Angeles I was able to take my horse (thank you mom and dad) and I spent my teen years showing in local gymkanas and shows. Boys didn't interest me unless they had a car or pickup to pull my horse trailer. I stayed pretty much out of trouble showing, cleaning corrals, training my horse, working part time and going to school. Those derps at school didn't interest me one little bit. They didn't know anything about horses.